To reduce the pollutant emission of motor vehicles it is desirable to reduce the gross weight of the motor vehicle if possible while maintaining the stability and the torsional rigidity of a motor vehicle body. In this regard, light-weight construction materials are increasingly being used for motor vehicles in body construction, such as for example comparatively light metals such as aluminum or magnesium, but also increasingly composite materials, such as for example fiber composite materials.
In particular, carbon fiber materials can have an extraordinarily high pulling strength and a comparatively high e-modulus with comparatively low density. They are therefore suitable to a particular degree for use in motor vehicles. Connecting components based on fiber composite materials to other motor vehicle body components produced for example from metal material however can prove to be particularly difficult. Although it is conceivable in principle to connect a fiber composite material component for example with the help of screws or rivets to adjoining metal components, a maximum tightening torque for example of a screw connection however must not be exceeded since popular fiber composite materials are comparatively brittle and accordingly prone to breakage.
A force introduction and force transmission between composite material body components and metal body components should therefore take place subject to realizing a comparatively large contact area, so that the effect of the pressure in the fiber composite material component distributed over a corresponding contact area does not exceed predetermined limits. A further problem in connecting motor vehicle body components of different materials consists in the different heat expansion of the individual materials. Compared with further body components for example based on metal, fiber composite materials can have a greatly deviating thermal expansion behavior. In the case of highly fluctuating or in extreme temperature conditions, thermally-induced stresses can thus occur in the structure of such a motor vehicle body, as a result of which impermissible compressive stresses for example of the fiber composite component can be exceeded in certain circumstances.
In view of the foregoing, at least one object is to provide an improved connecting arrangement for connecting at least two body components of a motor vehicle, which is suitable in particular for connecting fiber composite materials and which tolerates particularly favorably temperature-induced length expansion effects of the body components even in extreme weather conditions, in particular in the case of particularly high or low temperatures. In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.